Referring now to FIGS. 11 and 12, a slide/flip-up type automobile-seat according to a general example will be discussed hereinafter in order to facilitate understanding of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 11, this automobile seat includes a seat cushion 2, a seat back 1 pivotally supported via reclining means (not shown) to the seat cushion 2 so as to be pivotable forward and rearward in such a manner that an angle of the seat back 1 relative to the seat cushion 2 can be adjusted, and a slide rail mechanism 3 for allowing an entire seat to be slid in a forward/rearward direction in an automobile body. The slide rail mechanism includes a pair of spaced apart lower rail members 3b, and a pair of spaced apart upper rail members 3a mounted to lower portions of the seat cushion and supported to the lower rail members 3b so as to be slidable along the lower rail members 3b (only one upper rail member 3a and only one lower rail member 3b are shown in FIG. 11). Thus, the entire seat can be moved along the lower rail members 3b in the forward/rearward direction.
The seat is provided with lock levers (not shown) for causing the upper rail members 3a to be releasably locked with respect to the lower rail members 3b, each of the lock levers being arranged between corresponding one of the upper rail members 3a and corresponding one of the lower rail members 3b so as to extend in the forward/rearward direction, and an operation lever 4 of a substantially U-shape in outline connected at both ends thereof to the lock levers and extending forward of a bottom of the seat cushion 2. When an occupant on the seat pulls the operation lever 4 up, the lock levers are brought to unlocking states or actuated so as to allow the upper rail members 3a to be unlocked relative to the lower rail members 3b. When the operation lever 4 is released from the pulling-up, the operation lever 4 is returned to an original state by spring means and, thus, the lock levers return to locking states or cause the upper rail members 3a to be locked with respect to the lower rail members 3b. 
In the automobile seat, especially, a rear seat for a wagon-type car, the entire seat in which the seat back 1 is brought to a folded-down state on the seat cushion 2 is adapted to be flipped up together with the slide rail mechanism 3 from a rearward direction as shown in FIG. 12, in order that a storage space for baggage, luggage, etc. can be obtained.
In the flip-up type automobile-seat, the lower rail members 3b are pivotally supported, via support shafts 6, at forward end portions thereof to spaced apart brackets 5 which are mounted on an automobile body floor F (only one support shaft 6 and only one bracket 5 are shown in FIG. 12). The lower rail members 3b are provided at rearward end portions thereof with striker locks 8 which are adapted to be releasably locked with respect to strikers 7 mounted on the automobile body floor F (only one striker lock 8 and only one striker 7 are shown in FIG. 12). The seat is provided with a traction strap 9 that is coupled to the striker locks 8. When the strap 9 is pulled by the person, whereby the striker locks 8 are actuated in such a manner that they are allowed to be released from the strikers 7, the entire seat is automatically flipped up from the rearward direction due to actions of torque springs (not shown) mounted around the support shafts 6.
It is desirable that the flip-up type automobile-seat is provided with lock-release restricting means for keeping the lock levers in the unlocking states, even if the person erroneously touches the operation lever 4 so as to pull the operation lever 4 up during the flipping-up movement of the entire seat or in the state where the entire seat has been flipped up, and for keeping the striker locks in the locked states with respect to the strikers, even if the strap is drawn so as to cause the striker locks to be released from the strikers in a state where the lock levers are accidentally brought to incompletely locking states (half locking states).
As the lock-release restricting means for the slide/flip-up type automobile-seat, there is proposed a restricting means which is provided at a side of each of a pair of spaced apart lower rail members of a slide rail mechanism (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-53245).
The restricting means includes a stopper piece pivotally supported at a lower end portion thereof to a side of a lower rail member, the stopper piece having a projecting piece which is projected inward of an upper rail member from an upper end portion of the stopper piece and extends toward a rear end of a corresponding lock lever. The stopper piece is connected to a corresponding striker lock through an extension rod whose end is connected to a substantially middle region of the stopper piece. According to a forward and rearward stroke of the extension rod which is brought about by locking and unlocking operations of the striker lock, the stopper piece is swung in such a manner that the projecting piece is moved between a position just behind the rear end of the lock lever and a position just under the rear end of the lock lever.
In the lock-release restricting means, the stopper piece is provided at the side of the lower rail member, so that in a state where baggage, luggage, etc. are placed in a space under the seat cushion, when the strap is pulled in order that the entire seat is flipped up from the rearward direction, there is a possibility that the stopper piece will strike the baggage, luggage, etc. to thereby prevent expected flipping-up movement of the entire seat.